It’s time for another round of behind the scenes! For part 1, see this post.
Once again, I’m showcasing all of the flops, disasters, forgotten, and so-so recipes I’ve made since July. Only the best recipes get posted on the blog, but I think it’s fun to give you a sneak peek of what didn’t make the cut!
And show you some of the flops that I had to eat until I was blue in the face. I’m telling you I don’t want to see a sweet potato or spaghetti squash for a very long time…
Speaking of squash, I made a sweet cinnamon & Sucanat flavoured spaghetti squash.
I thought I was going to LOVE this change up from the usual savoury squash. It tasted good and all, but something was off and I got sick of it real fast. Butternut or acorn squash and a lightly sweet topping works, but somehow it just didn’t work with spaghetti squash…
Sure was pretty, though!
I’m guessing this was a brownie flop?
I really don’t remember! This was the only picture on my camera…no finished product. Suspicious…
I tried to replicate my Project Food Blog S’more in a jar, yet again.
Still didn’t turn out how I remembered it! I lost the recipe and haven’t been able to replicate it since last Fall.
Homemade Vanilla Bean almond milk!
It tasted pretty decent, but I didn’t find that it was much cheaper than buying it from the store. And the leftover almond pulp just stressed me out…
I made a navy bean based pasta sauce that was a huge flop.
Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but it was just bland no matter what spices and seasonings I added to it.
Navy beans are tricky to get right…
I tried an all natural, oil-free, and no sugar added granola bar recipe that I found on Pinterest, but I wasn’t a fan…It was pretty mushy and tasteless.
I made a gorgeous two-tier carrot cake…until it crumbled!
But love is all you need, clearly.
They are holding hands, right? bahah
I made a peach and cilantro pesto.
The pesto tasted great, but once on pasta it just tasted bland and boring.
Watermelon smoothies!
Just watermelon, ice, and almond milk.
Crock Pot Blueberry Pie steel-cut oatmeal.
I didn’t post this because I prefer the make-ahead steel cut oatmeal. Mainly because I really don’t like cleaning the crock pot! The oats just get all stuck on (even when I grease it) and it’s not a fun cleaning job. Or maybe I don’t know the trick?
I made s’more granola bars, based off my chocolate chunk toffee bars. I didn’t like them more than the original recipe, so I figured there was no point in posting. The toffee bars are the best! So far…
I made nut-butter crusted potato chips, but they didn’t turn out.
Stick with the nut butter parsnip fries, for sure.
I made that cinnamon sweet potato coconut soup that I told you about…
Nothing to write home about.
I also tried this magic trick for instant oatmeal. You pour boiling water over the oats and leave it in the jar for 15 mins. Sadly, it didn’t work for me after 4-5 trials using different amounts of oats.
Update: I did hear from a couple of you that you need to fill the oats half way up the jar. I tried this a couple times, but maybe I should give it another shot!
I made a vanilla cake batter smoothie. I prefer the chocolate one!
I roasted cherry tomatoes…
and made a roasted cherry & lentil wrap. The dressing I made for it was a bit off, so I didn’t post it.
Click “continue” for the other half of the post…lots more pictures to come!
Eric likes taking pictures of the moon…lol.
I bought a new kind of wheatgrass powder from Whole Foods.
These espresso beans are addicting, but a bit hard on my stomach!
I made ANOTHER sweet potato soup. I’m stubborn.
Second time is not a charm.
I made crispy pan-fried tofu which tasted pretty good, but I was reminded why I don’t eat soy. (I get stomach pains from soy)
Really good Cinnamon Bun oatmeal…lost but not forgotten.
I made roasted red pepper pasta sauce. I had such high hopes for this!
I wasn’t sold on it. It just wasn’t thick and creamy like I wanted it to be.
So I made another.
Close but no cigar.
I made Carrot Cake Granola Bars.
Eric said, “It’s a crime against humanity that you didn’t post this recipe.”
I think he liked them. ;) I loved these as well, but will need to work on the recipe a bit more.
I made Peach oats.
A bit tart.
I made tropical coconut milk pineapple oatmeal. It was quite good!
Pumpkin Butter Swirl Oats….also very good.
I shot my new Fall header on a coffee table in the back yard!
And things got a bit crazy, as usual.
So that’s what you haven’t seen since July! Time sure flies.
Any surprises in this post? Any crimes against humanity?
Oh Angela, I loved this post! You are such a dearheart.
My favorite parts were the randoms you snuck in:
“But all you need is love, clearly” {picture of gnarly, copulating bugs}
and
“Eric likes taking pictures of the moon”
I was seriously laughing out loud.
I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but one of the reasons I love your blog and come back regularly is I get the feeling that on here, you are just exactly who you are. There is no ego here. Just you being you. You allow yourself to be vulnerable, and your authentic self shines through, and it’s really beautiful.
I’m glad that you understand my sense of humour! I usually just put it in for my own amusement, assuming no one will be laughing with me. Thanks for your kind words!
If these are flops, then my efforts are truly failures. This post is timely. I was just finishing up writing today’s post when I heard this disconcerting crackling sound… I forgot about the beans cooking on the stove. Again! They were so far over done that they turned to paste when I stirred them. ha! Bean dip : ) This wasn’t the intent, but I’ll roll with it.
lol…bean dip.
I forgot about beans on the stove last week and they burned to the bottom of the pot…black beans take on a whole new meaning. Could barely get them off!
I vote that you post the carrot cake granola bars!!!
What a fun post! Although, you mentioned your Fall header in a previous post, but I still see the other one. The one with the onion and garlic and what not. From the picture you posted here the Fall header looks beautiful!
Just press F5 and it will refresh the header :)
yup :) did that work?
Thanks! I can see it now. Looks amazing Angela!
I love the behind the scenes post!
I don’t know if they sell them in Canada, but some company – Reynolds Wrap, I believe? – sells disposable slow cooker liners. I never use my slow cooker without one.
Oh, post the vanilla cake batter recipe for us vanilla people!
Wow they really have something for everything these days! ;)
I still can’t see the header…
Food flops happen. They really stress me out and I’ve got learn not to get so upset about them. Flops are a part of trying new things…a large part!
I hold control + F5…and it refreshes the page
I’m the original poster of that oatmeal in a jar. Just by looking at the picture, I can see that you don’t have enough oats in the jar. Try it again, this time making sure to fill the jar halfway. Really, it works, and it’s so easy!
Even your less-than-successes are impressive though!
Ahhh it’s nice to know I’m not the only one with lots of flops!! xD
It’s so interesting you said that about navy beans! Because the other day I made a roasted pepper/onion/garlic pasta casserole with the beans as part of the sauce, and although it’s good–it was really tough to get the flavors right.
What a cute post!! Your pictures are superb!! Great job even if the recipes weren’t to your liking. ;) You’re a winner in my book!
Thanks for this post! You’ve really inspired me to branch out and try some new ideas, regardless if they’re successful or not :)
Wow! I am so comforted by this post! I’m not alone in having some flops! Thanks for all the testing and picture taking you do before posting a recipe.
With a remark like that, I’d love to try out the carrot cake granola bars recipe! :) & I made a watermelon & cucumber smoothie for breakfast this morning which I really didn’t think I would like that much, but it’s all I’ve been thinking about since! Haha
& I don’t understand the oats with the boiling water either… wouldn’t it take just as long to cook them on the stove?
Anyways, have a great day! :)
I think the idea behind it is that you can get ready for work while the oats sit in the jar, instead of standing over the stove top. I reeeeaally didnt like them in the jar though. I heard instant oats work better.
I posted about this further down. I do it in a bowl with normal oats and put just enough boiling water to reach the top of the oats, cover for 5 minutes then mix it up. So quick and easy, and I was really surprised at how creamy they tasted.
Angela, how did you make the Pumpkin Butter swirl oats? I have a batch of your pumpkin butter leftover from the Butternut bread I made this weekend and would love to use it in oatmeal!
Reay fun post! I would love to see the carrot cake granola bars, they look reeeeeally good! :-)
Ana
I’m enjoying seeing all of the creations you have made since July, even the flops. After all the flops are how we learn.
Leftover almond pulp can be used instead of almond flour in any baking recipe. When you do that, it is cheaper than buying the store bought almond milk & almond flour. I like to use the leftover pulp to make gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Yum!
You make more “flops” than I do actual dishes in total! It’s crazy to see all the behind the scenes stuff, you guys must be up to your ears in food with the flops + successes!
It’s hard to believe some of these didn’t taste good b/c almost all of them look delicious!
I love this! Everything looks good. I would still eat it all! Give it up! :)
Whitney
I love this! I makes me happy as I always just imagine everything in your kitchen turns out magical. :) As for the almond pulp, I have made some awesome “cheese” with it. Or you can make crackers with it too! So many options!